Shirley Ballas and Strictly professional dancers land Doctor Who guest appearances

The Strictly head judge said taking part in the iconic sci-fi show was ‘one of the best days of my life’
Tina Campbell22 November 2023
The Weekender

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Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas and the show’s professional dancers have been confirmed for a guest appearance in Doctor Who.

Showrunner Russell T Davies revealed the news during an appearance on BBC Morning Live while promoting the iconic sci-fi show’s 60th anniversary.

During the segment, presenter Gethin Jones teased that there was someone else in the studio who could “potentially” be making a cameo on Doctor Who.

Davies then joked: “Do you mean the top secret information that Shirley Ballas is going to appear?”

The camera then panned to Dame Shirley, who excitedly confirmed that the rumours were true.

Russell T Davies revealed he was on set when the Strictly crew filmed and described it as ‘great’
Getty Images

“Well, I can tell you the filming was one of the best days of my life,” she revealed.

Ballas continued: “We’re doing a guest appearance with Jojo [dancing professional Johannes Radebe], where I actually get to perform with Jojo and so many other dancers on the show. I’m very excited for people to watch.”

Davies revealed that he was on set the day they were filming as there was “no way” he was going to miss it.

“Dame Shirley Ballas on Doctor Who, it was great,” he added.

The first episode of the 60th anniversary Doctor Who special, The Star Beast, airs on Saturday at 6:30pm and will be followed by another two episodes, titled Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle, over the coming weeks.

While it has not been confirmed which episode the Strictly stars will be appearing in, Davis told Zoe Ball during her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show on Tuesday that they have already begun filming season 15.

That is quite an impressive lead time, given season 14 doesn’t air until next year.

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